So busy, so sorry!

I want to apologize right now for my lack of posting.  It’s been 2 weeks & I can’t believe it!  This will not happen again, I promise you.  You will see a new post tomorrow & it will be great (okay, hopefully you will like it)!  {sorry}  Check out our facebook page, I have been doing some short posts on there to share.  www.facebook.com/BecomeUnglud

Remember, Cook, Eat, Enjoy!

“Greek”ish stuffed Chicken – Gluten-Free; Another rewarding Meal Delivery for Kai’s Village.

Another family is being helped in my area (by Kai’s Village) & both myself a group of friends of mine & even more wonderful local  people get to be involved.  We have another meal delivery train going for a local family whose child is in treatment.  I was trying to think outside the box, I have lists of freezer meals, but none of them were sounding appealing to me…I was craving something, but what?  I say “I” because as I said before, whatever I cook for the family we’re delivering to, our family also eats the same thing.  Maybe feeling Greek(ish)?  Yes, that sounds good.  Now, keep in mind, I’m not Greek, I really have no knowledge of true Greek cuisine.

I saw feta cheese while I was out shopping & that’s what did it.  I grabbed a jumbo pack of chicken, boneless, skinless & the thought came to me, grab some Calamata Olives, I had Organic goat cheese at home & decided this would be my mix, I halved the chicken breasts to thin them, then pounded them out.  Now, I have to mention this, I’m a big believer in if you don’t have the appropriate tools, or ingredients you improvise.  I pounded out the chicken with an empty wine bottle, I’m not sure if my mother was more amused by this, or more horrified by this, but this is my way.  I put the breasts between the sheets of wax paper & give them a wicked whack about to get them thin.  I lightly salt & pepper the breasts & then stuff with my mixture, which I’ve prepared in a bowl ahead of time.  I’m not using measurements on this  only because I think you should use as much as you want, but this is what I mixed to stuff:

Feta Cheese

Organic goat cheese

Calamata Olives (diced)

Organic Olive Oil

Oregano

Thyme

Minced Garlic

Baked at 425 F for approximately 30 minutes.  On the outside of rolls, I sprinkled some more oregano & thyme, to give some color & extra flavor.

Chicken after being baked with the crispy fingerling potatoes

What this gorgeous chicken looked like on the inside; nom nom nom!

Oh & here is a link to the recipe I used for the Organic fingerling potatoes, so, so good, we ate the whole batch; no leftovers!!

Crispy Lemon-Garlic Fingerling Potatoes  & this was all served with a fresh, Organic Mesclun salad!

Organic Gardening for your lifestyle, series; part 2

I have started planting, I start with just a few things & add as the season progresses, I do tend to be a late planter (I’m a procrastinator by nature…I have at least 5 drafted blog posts as we speak, that I started, but haven’t finished), but this season I am even later, as I needed to avoid any chance of frost & they were warning of it overnight in just the past week.  We had a VERY long Winter this year!

First a pic of our smaller planting bed, before we turned it & made a raised bed:

Smaller planting bed (before); my husband is measuring it to frame & create raised bed:

Tomorrow you will see it as a raised bed & with the plantings, I will go through the steps with you, since we are transplanting some items & some are freshly planted.

This is going to be 1 of our transplants, Chocolate Mint, it did very well, so well, it sustained through Winter & even started to spread into the pool area:

Chocolate mint grows vine-like (I believe this is the only herb, plant, or vegetable that I didn’t buy organic) (grows like a weed, literally)

I dug about 6 in. down to make sure I was able to get the roots & the soil it had been growing so well in.

The Chocolate mint is now sitting in 2 separate pots waiting to be transplanted into the new bed.  I have some to share with friends who are looking for starters as well

My older son playing Foreman on the job.

Are you seriously taking a picture of me doing this? My husband reluctant for blog pics…

Measuring & digging, 1 of our Chicks making an appearance, searching for grubs & worms.

Here is a pic of the first tier frame built:

First tier frame built, soil not turned yet:

Tomorrow I’ll post more specifics, and pics of finished 2-tiered first bed done.

Next in the series will be the start of our pallet garden/privacy fence for the pool!

Traveling for 24 hours, deserves a home-cooked meal!

Most people by now I assume know what’s been going on in the City of Boston.  I first want to say my condolences to all those lost & my prayers are with all those who are forever affected by these tragedies.  Thank you for all you do, every day, to all first responders!  There are not enough and not the appropriate words to express all the emotions we have all been through this past week, as a city, as a state, as a nation.

My mother lives in El Paso, TX, had planned on flying up to visit & was to arrive on Thursday night.  Well, things changed quickly here in Massachusetts…during her travel, weather initially disrupted plans to fly into Boston (due to her plane change point), so her flight was changed from Boston to BWI (Baltimore), which is adjacent to a rail station, where she could then get on a train into Boston, thus making her arrival late morning, Friday.  Well, events really broke loose on Thu. night/Fri. morning hours once the 2 suspects had been identified & more events unfolded.  I did not know any of this until morning, when I flipped on the t.v. to see weather & saw all of the “Breaking News”.  I immediately called her & told her she wouldn’t be able to get into Boston, it was then announced on the train a few minutes later, all rail travel into the City was suspended.  Now, what… “Where are you now, I’ll have to drive to come get you?”  ”We just left Stamford, CT”  ”Okay, get off in Providence, I’ll get the kids, dressed, will feed them in the car (I threw together breakfast sandwiches, perfect travel food) and hopefully be there by the time you arrive.  (I live just over an hour from Providence, RI).   I got myself changed (I looked crazy; mind you, but I had clothes on …. no they did NOT match) ha ha.  The kids looked a lot better than I did.  I wrapped the sandwiches in paper towels, serving as containers & clean up, put the kids into their car seats, put Providence rail station into my phone/gps & hit the road (P.S. w/out a sip of coffee)…wwwhhhhhaaattt????

The kids loved seeing all the police on the highway and at the station, especially the K-9′s.  My two boys have very little understanding about what has been going on, they know we’ve been watching a lot of news, but they certainly don’t “get” it.   And I feel they’re still so young, I don’t need them to have those worries yet, we will carry all that worry for them. (All the visible police presence definitely made me feel easier inside…I’m not going to lie, I didn’t really want to leave my house at all, and I do not live in the city)  I wanted to stay snuggled with my kids, locked in the house, until we knew more & suspect #2 was captured.   We arrived, got a great parking spot, right out front (some of my friends will be cursing me…I have a fairly lucky streak of getting great spots right in front of venues, that I can smoothly parallel park into; you grow up a city kid, you learn to parallel park!).  Pretty sure I just jinxed it by putting it in black & white!  We actually arrived before the train & when my mother arrived, I felt such a relief that she was here & safe.  We made the drive home & joked that she had officially traveled, by planes, trains (yes, she even ended up having to switch trains in all the craziness) & automobile to see the boys.    Once we were home, she made a couple quick phone calls & I suggested she get herself a well-deserved nap!  I woke her up after I finished cooking us a great family meal.  What’s more comforting than a big bowl of pasta (gluten-free of course) & a fresh organic salad?  Food is love, food is comfort.  Eat, cook, enjoy!

Turkey Sausage (sweet Italian) & Corn Pasta with a fresh Organic Salad

Boston Strong

Boston has always held my heart, my accent tends to give that away, so I’m told by strangers no matter where I go; and it will forever be my home! #BOSTONSTRONG

I may not live in the city any longer, but I could never be far from her!

My first guest post, Vegan Sweet Potato Gnocchi; Gluten-free & Paleo version (both V)

Being newly(ish) pregnant I want to make sure I continue to eat healthy and make dinners that don’t take a lot of time or energy. It seems like everything makes me tired these days. (I might be guilty of sitting on the edge of my tub while brushing my teeth kind of tired). I’ve always enjoyed fresh pasta, but most store-bought fresh pasta’s have eggs and are a vegan no no. I don’t have the energy right now to get out my pasta machine and roll out thin sheets of dough and then let it dry a little. Gnocchi is one of my favorites and pretty easy to make. You don’t need a special pasta machine or even a gnocchi board. I even skipped rolling the dough into snakes and just broke off pieces and rolled them into rounds in my hand. This recipe is super easy to change around, you could use white potatoes, you could add cheese to the dough too, if you are a cheese eater.

2 lb sweet potatoes, rinsed and pierced with a fork.

2 TBS brown sugar or maple syrup

1tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

2 3/4 c to 3 1/4 cup flour (I used whole wheat)

**Gluten-Free substitution here would be 2 3/4 cup of garbanzo bean flour **Paleo sub would be Almond flour.

sauce

1 stick earth balance margarine ( you could use real butter or even 1/2 cup olive oil in stead)

6-8 TBS fresh sage chopped (side note if you’re using ground sage (bottled), you will only need about 2 TBSP.)

**Paleo use the olive oil  (Earth Balance is gluten-free & non-GMO)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, wrap the potatoes in foil and bake until soft, about an hour.  Once the potatoes are soft remove them from the oven. Use a knife and slice them open to release the steam. This will help them be fluffier gnocchi as you’ll get to use less flour to form the dough.

Set a large pot of water on to boil.

While your potatoes are cooling add 2 3/4 cup flour to a large bowl, mix in the salt, sugar (or syrup) and nutmeg until they are blended.

When your potatoes are cool enough to handle mash them into the flour. The dough will be soft and a little sticky. If it is really wet and clumping to your hands add more flour a little at a time.

Once your dough is a ready it should be able to be handled with out sticking to your hands. It will be softer than a bread dough though.

You should set up a floured cutting board or a large piece of parchment paper on your counter or table. Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Flour your hands and roll 1 piece of dough into a “snake” about 15-20 inches long. Cut each snake into about 20 pieces. They should be around 1 inch long. Continue to do this with the remaining dough pieces.

(Or just skip this part and break of little chunks about the size of your  thumb from tip to the 1st knuckle).

If you want you can roll the gnocchi down the tines of a fork, the ridges are supposed to help pick up extra sauce.

In a large saute pan or frying pan and the margarine and sage, cook on low heat.

By now your large pot of water should be boiling. I like to boil the gnocchi in small batches. Add about 1/4 of the gnocchi pieces to the water and stir. It only takes a few minutes until they start to float back up to the surface. Once they float use a slotted spoon and remove them from the water.  Let them drain a few seconds and add them to the saute pan. Add another 1/4 of the gnocchi to the water, when they are cooked add to the saute pan. Continue this until all the gnocchi are in the pan. Toss them around in the sauce and then remove the pan from the  heat. Serve while warm with a nice salad!!! They also freeze fairly well, if you have left overs, place a single layer of them in a freezer bag and you can either microwave them or warm them in a saute pan.

Enjoy and feel free to experiment with different herbs in the sauce. They are also really good with pesto!!!!

Thank you Molly, great recipe & so so easy!!  Please try it, you will thank us!  Below is a link to the very talented Molly’s Etsy shop – you will want to check out her handmade items, they are SO cute & make great gifts!!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/bunnygarden

Below are some pics from me following Molly’s Vegan Gnocchi recipe, my husband & I loved it, the kids not so much, but hey; it never hurts to have them try new things.

I used ground sage (didn’t have fresh on hand), I also added garlic & fresh rosemary to the sauce..wish you could have smelled it!!

I didn’t do snakes I grabbed & hand rolled & marked with fork.

Floats to the top, take out drain & add to the sauce…

A few gnocchis added to the sauce.

Cook, eat; enjoy!!

How I converted my non-veggie eating In-Laws into Kale fans.

Yap, did it!!  Score one for me & my cooking.  My mother in law not so hard to please; pretty easy-going, but my Father in law, not a veggie loving easy guy to cook for!

We had our annual tradition of inviting them for dinner here with us & coloring Easter eggs with the boys.  I cooked marinated chicken kabobs, rice & kale chips.  I was not sure how this was all going to go over, it was a light fresh, good for you meal.  Kale chips were the biggest chance I took with them, but we had just gotten a fresh batch & my husband LOVES when I make them.  I mean, seriously he sees them & God help me if I choose to do anything else with them besides make chips, even though I do, he is slightly disappointed if they’re not in chip form.  So, I generally oblige, as I also love them & both the boys will eat some too.  Here is what you’ll need:

Kale (fresh & organic are your best choice)  & however much you want, this is not a “measured” recipe, more of a serving suggestion.

Organic Extra virgin olive oil

Paprika

Sea Salt

Ground Black Pepper

Lemon juice

Preheat oven to 425, lightly spray a baking sheet, chop your kale & lay it out in single layer on your cookie sheet.  Lightly, very lightly salt, pepper, & paprika – go lightly with the salt, the kale truly absorbs what you put on it, like a sponge (I have over salted & regretted).    Toss & shake the kale about, then lightly drizzle with the lemon juice & very lightly with the olive oil  - if you soak it, they will burn quickly, instead of crisp up like they should.  Again make sure to shake up a bit for an even flavor, make sure again you have a single layer & cook for approximately 10 min., checking after 5 min. as ovens vary. Once you see some brown & feel they’re crisp enough, you’re done!  Easy & I promise you delicious.

They loved it, my father in law wasn’t even going to try it at first, but in front of the kids he had to, since the rule at our table is you must at least try 1 single bite before rejecting anything on your plate.  He tried it, loved it & had more!  Triumph!!

My mother in law called to let us know they bought some kale that week & they now love kale, my FIL has put it on his sandwiches & has even attempted the kale chips (they said theirs weren’t as successful), but hey they tried & if they keep trying they’ll get it they way they want it.

PS – this is also a great snack, instead of grabbing a bag of chips, cook these up & you have a delicious & healthy snack, without the guilt.  Other suggestions are to add garlic, or grated cheese, for different flavors; I’ve tried & loved many combinations on the kale; experiment, have fun!

Cook, eat & enjoy!